5 Do you find it difficult to remember the sense of what you have read?

6 Do you dislike reading long books?

7 Is your spelling poor?

8 Is your writing difficult to read?

9 Do you get confused if you have to speak in public?

10 Do you find it difficult to take messages on the telephone and pass them on correctly?

11 When you have to say a long word, do you sometimes find it difficult to get all the sounds in the right order?

12 Do you find it difficult to do sums in your head without using your fingers or paper?

13 When using the telephone, do you tend to get the numbers mixed up when you dial?

14 Do you find it difficult to say the months of the year forwards in a fluent manner?

15 Do you find it difficult to say the months of the year backwards?

16 Do you mix up dates and times and miss appointments?

17 When writing cheques, do you frequently find yourself making mistakes?

18 Do find you find forms difficult and confusing?

19 Do you mix up bus numbers like 95 and 59?

20 Did you find it hard to learn your multiplication tables at school?

This questionnaire was devised for the ADO by Dr Michael Vinegrad of the psychology department of Goldsmith's College London, to establish some common indicators for dyslexia in adults. Based on a sample of 679 responses, Dr Vinegrad lists the top 12 questions in order of importance: These are 17, 13, 7, 16, 18, 10, 19, 14, 20, 4, 1, 11. If the majority of these items is ticked there is a strong indication of dyslexia. Nine or more "yes" answers to all questions is a powerful indicator of difficulty, but the ticked items should be checked against the "top 12" and further help sought.

Log in or register for FREE to continue reading.

It only takes a moment and you'll get access to more news, plus courses, jobs and teaching resources tailored to you